ABU DHABI // More than 100 teaching professionals from public schools in Dubai received instruction yesterday on how to improve their classrooms. The first workshops to help raise standards at the schools are being held in response to inspections that found weaknesses in the emirate's 80 public schools. Of those, 32 were rated good, 43 as acceptable and five as unsatisfactory.
None was rated as outstanding. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), which oversees education in Dubai, inspected 189 schools, both public and private, from October 2008 to April 2009. The KHDA found that about 20,000 students attended schools that failed health, safety or education requirements. Twenty-two schools, including the five public institutions in the group, were rated unsatisfactory. Of those, inspectors said in July that 20 still were not meeting standards.
Inspectors found that pupils are rarely expected to write more than a paragraph during lessons. The KHDA said it had worked with the schools to draw up plans for improvement and designed the workshops around them. Around 105 principals and vice principals attended the first session, which focused on performance management and teaching. Later workshops will deal with student behaviour and assessments, as well as extended writing in Arabic and English.
Fatma al Marri, the chief executive of the Dubai Schools Agency, said: "We are pleased that our principals and teachers are supporting our workshops because it proves that we all share the same ambition: to improve our public schools so that our children benefit from a better quality of education." Administrators are encouraged to sign up for workshops that fit their schools' needs. School principals have also requested a workshop on how to form a board of trustees, a move recommended by the KHDA.
mchung@thenational.ae
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National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
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Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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Stage 7:
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The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
